Roster cuts have started for the Boston Red Sox, but the first move wasn’t one many expected.
Per a report from MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, the team designated 25-year-old right-hander for assignment on Thursday. The decision came as a bit of a surprise, since Guerrero had shown potential with the club last season before dealing with inconsistency and time on the injured list this year.
Guerrero will hit waivers, where the other 29 teams will have a chance to claim him, or the Red Sox will get the opportunity to trade him, before he could potentially return to the Boston organization as a minor-leaguer without a 40-man roster spot.
In 13 major league appearances for the Red Sox this season, Guerrero posted a 4.15 ERA but struggled with control, issuing 14 walks in just 17 1/3 innings while striking out only 10. That sub-one strikeout-to-walk ratio is tough to sustain in today’s MLB, and his command troubles continued during his time in Triple-A as well.
Guerrero didn’t pitch for Boston after June 27, though he made 11 rehab appearances with Triple-A Worcester in August and September. Despite a disappointing overall season, his being the first player cut still came as a surprise.
At the time of the move, Guerrero was among nine players still on the Red Sox’s 60-day injured list, with a 5 p.m. ET deadline Thursday to return them to the 40-man roster. With eight open spots following the departure of several free agents, Guerrero’s designation may end up being the only roster subtraction before new additions are made.
The eight players reinstated to the 40-man roster were Kutter Crawford, Tanner Houck, Marcelo Mayer, Hunter Dobbins, Josh Winckowski, Patrick Sandoval, Vaughn Grissom, and Triston Casas.
In particular, Grissom and Winckowski stood out as candidates to get DFA’d before Guerrero, as well as left-hander Jovani Morán, who made just two appearances this year after arriving in a trade with the Minnesota Twins.
Perhaps the Red Sox expect some of the others to leave anyway and believe now could be the right time to get back a low-level prospect of some kind for Guerrero in a trade. But for a pitcher who began his major league career on a streak of 12 straight scoreless appearances, this was a quick fall from favor.
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